The Question
by a cold day in december
Summary: "You two are the type of friends that finish each other's sentences; the type of friends who know everything about the other; the type who can communicate with one look and one gesture. You know what type of friends you are?" Austin shook his head, no. "You're not friends," Penny said with an air of finality. "You're lovers." / AUSLLY. One shot. Complete. For Tessa.


**Disclaimer: **I own none of this at all.

**Dedication:** This mega fluff (with surprising depth...) is dedicated to **Tessa**/**shiksa goddess** because you totally deserve it, you awesome person. You make me smile and your stories are so well thought out and amazing, and I love your tumblr posts and our lovely messages. I'm so glad I got the chance to talk to you. :) Sorry I couldn't give you something better ;_; but here's a little fluff for you!

Just pretend Kira never messed with anything, and Elliot didn't come back, _but_ Penny was still determined to have a release party for her book and see her daughter, okay?

* * *

**The Question**

* * *

:::

"So, when are you going to ask Ally to be your girlfriend?"

Trish looked at him with a wide smile and eager eyes. Dez stood behind her, towering over the girl and giving Austin the same innocent look.

"What are you guys talking about?" Austin scoffed. "Ally and I are just friends, nothing more. You of all people should know that. We're partners and best friends, we write music and―"

"―And blah, blah, _blah,_" Trish cut in. "We've heard all that _before_. When are you going to admit you love her?" Trish asked, placing her hands on her hips menacingly.

"Woah, woah, _woah_―" Austin spluttered. "_Love her_―?"

"―Yeah, of course you love her―"

"―You two are like the perfect couple―"

" ―_Dez!_―"

"―Yeah, Dez! Like something out of a movie―"

"―What? Trish is right, and―"

"_Stop._" Austin cut them off. "I will _not_ be asking Ally out any time soon, all right? Jeez you guys, get off my back." Austin sat up on the counter as he watched the store, whilst Ally was off running errands. He had to admit, he liked to help Ally out, because it made him feel important.

Also because she gave him the widest, cutest grin he'd ever seen, and why deny himself that pleasure?

Not that he would ever tell Trish and Dez that, though.

"But buddy," Dez said sadly, "you and Ally are literally meant to be, I could even make a film on it!"

Austin raised an eyebrow at his redhead best friend. "So, you're using me to make a film?"

Trish groaned and Dez shook his head. "_No._ I'm trying to make you happy and _then_ I will make a film out of your happiness."

"Whatever," Austin said, pretending to fiddle with the cash register and promptly ignoring the fact that Trish and Dez were totally and completely right; he needed to man up and do something about his relationship with Ally.

Again, something he would not admit to them.

"Whatever is a passive-aggressive way to end an argument when you know that your opponent is right or the conversation is not going the way that you want and you don't know how to steer it back," Dez said seriously.

Austin gave him a glare and Trish's smile turned triumphant. "See, the conversation isn't going where you want it to because you're trying to convince yourself that you and Ally don't belong together," she said, grinning even more widely now, "when clearly, you do."

"Just― just shut up," Austin pouted, knowing he wasn't doing anything to help his cause. "I can do whatever I want, and I can ask out Ally in my own time―"

"So you _are_ going to ask her out?" Trish squealed. "I knew it, you love her!"

Austin put his head in his hands, wondering what he'd just done. His mental state slowly deteriorated to the sound of Dez chanting: _Austin loves Ally! Austin loves Ally!_

Despite this, he managed to peek through his fingers to look at his ecstatic friends, allowing himself to grin just a little.

He couldn't deny it felt good to admit it out loud.

Now to do something about it.

* * *

"Soooooo, when are you going to ask Ally to be your girlfriend?"

Megan asked him this sweetly, right after she'd taken a spontaneous photo of Austin. If the flash hadn't left him dazed, her question certainly did.

He felt for the piano in the practice room, grabbing at air until he found the closed lid and slowly sat down on the chair, coloured spots and black spots alike still appearing behind his eyelids. "Uh, I'm working on it."

"Oh-my-gosh, like, really?" she asked, her voice full of barely contained excitement. Austin's vision had gone back to normal and he managed to give her a timid smile.

"Yeah," he said happily, "yeah."

"This is going to be, like, so huge," Megan said. "This is totes fantast, Aus! Ah-_may_-zing. I need to get working on a new cover."

She went to leave the room but Austin gently grabbed her little wrist and bent down in front of her, looking up into her curious eyes.

"Megan, I know you want to report on me and Ally," he started, "heck, who wouldn't. But I need you to promise me something."

She nodded, entranced by his sincere face and that _Austin Moon_ was letting her promise something to him. "Anything," she breathed out.

"I need you not to mention this until _after_ I've asked Ally to be my girlfriend." He saw the little girl's pout and actually felt slightly bad. "I know it will be hard, but I really want to surprise Ally and I can't do that if you tell everyone about it, now can I?"

His chirpy tone was infectious and a grin spread across Megan's face. "No, I guess not. But this better be a totes _amaze_ proposal, so I can have a, like, _ten page_ spread on you two!"

Austin nodded his head and let go of her wrist, allowing her to leave the room.

"I hope it will," Austin muttered, running a hand through his hair.

* * *

"So, when are you going to ask my daughter to be your girlfriend?"

Austin looked up wide-eyed from the guitar he was tuning. He sat on a stool in the store, waiting for Ally to finish her shift so they could go to the movies.

Very date-esque, but Austin hadn't quite managed anything yet.

At Austin's scared look, Lester chuckled. He smiled when he saw the boy visibly relax a little. "A little birdy told me," the older man said helpfully.

"Trish or Dez?" he asked as he shook his head slightly.

"Both." Lester laughed. "Simultaneously. Shouting at the tops of their voices they were. I'm surprised Ally didn't hear them." He sighed, "Mind you, she can be a little oblivious at times."

"You're telling me," Austin said sadly, putting the guitar back on its stand.

"You shouldn't hold those by the neck you know―"

"―it breaks the guitar a little more each time," Austin said, finishing Lester's sentence with a secret smile. "I know, bad habit. Ally tells me all the time. I'm trying." Austin picked up the guitar and put it back properly by way of example.

"You know I like you already," Lester said fondly, clapping his hand on Austin's shoulder. "Make my daughter happy, will you? She deserves it."

"She deserves everything," Austin's mouth said automatically. He blushed at his admission but Lester just looked proud.

"'Atta boy. Don't keep her waiting too long Austin."

* * *

"So, when are you going to be asking _my daughter _ to be your girlfriend?"

Austin sat atop of the stairs at Sonic Boom, whilst he watched Ally finish closing up the store. He smiled fondly out of habit whilst Penny Dawson sat down next to him, doing the same.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Austin replied happily.

"I don't know how Ally's not heard about you preparing to make her yours," she said referring back to her earlier question, "she needs to get her ears checked ― it's all everyone's been talking about these past few days."

Austin wasn't surprised to find he didn't feel nervous, and didn't feel the need to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. It was hard to feel nervous around Penny Dawson; she was like a grown-up Ally, and he felt immediately at ease around her.

"She loves you too, you know," Penny said with a smile.

"How do you know?" Austin said dejectedly, "how do I know I'm not wasting my time, for her only to reject me?" He made eyes at Ally from across the room where she couldn't see him and Penny's heart cracked a little.

"This is my daughter we're talking about, Austin," Penny said fiercely, "I know her like the sea knows the shore line; like the birds know the trees; like you and Ally know your music, know _each other._"

Austin had to admit that meant she knew her fairly well.

"I wish she'd notice me," Austin said, his tone still sad.

"Oh, she does," Penny reassured him, "more than you will ever know. She loves you more than she's probably willing to admit."

"How do you know it will work? How can you be so sure?" Austin brought his knees up to his chest like a little boy and rested his chin on them. He felt vulnerable, but he didn't mind. "I don't want to ruin anything."

"Austin," Penny said. Her tone was so serious, Austin immediately turned his head to look at her. "You and Ally― You two are for life. Do you hear me? I have never heard her talk about anyone else the way she talks about you. _I've_ never talked about anyone else the way she talks about you, not even Lester.

"Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this, but I can bet Ally will tell you again. And again and again and again, so it doesn't matter. I have never been so happy to see my Ally with someone who makes her so happy. She gets this twinkle in her eyes when she looks at you, I've seen it.

"You two are the type of friends that finish each other's sentences; the type of friends who know everything about the other; the type who can communicate with one look and one gesture. You know what type of friends you are?"

Austin shook his head, no.

"You're not friends," Penny said with an air of finality. "You're lovers."

She paused to take a breath. "That doesn't just come a long every day, you know."

"I know," Austin said happily, feeling reassured in his efforts. "I know and I'm glad."

"Well then, so am I," she patted his leg once before standing up and walking down the stairs to capture her daughter in an embrace.

Ally's back was to Austin, who was still sitting at the top of the stairs. Penny rested her head on her daughter's and looked at Austin. He mouthed, "_Thank you._"

She looked at him and mouthed back, "_No, thank _you."

* * *

"So, dude, when are you going to ask Ally to be your girlfriend?"

Austin growled, "What's it to you, Dallas?" He turned away from where he was messing around with the violins at the entrance to Sonic Boom.

"Woah, man," Dallas said, putting his arms up in surrender, "I was just wondering. You two would be good together."

Austin's expression softened a little, as it always did when he thought of or talked about Ally. Especially him and Ally. "You think?"

"Oh yeah, I know," Dallas said confidently. "You two have that vibe going on, like you know what the other's thinking. It's kinda weird but... awesome?"

"Yeah, I guess," Austin admitted, trying not to sound bashful.

"I thought I liked her before," Dallas said and Austin's eyebrows furrowed. He wondered why the other boy was telling him this. "I was gonna ask her out and everything, came to the store, but then..."

"But then...?" Austin prompted.

"I remember," he said, "I saw you and her, you were sitting on the counter, swinging your legs in time with each other, and laughing. And I'm pretty sure you didn't see but she was looking at you like you were the best thing on this Earth."

Austin gasped a little but Dallas continued. "And I knew I couldn't ask out Ally, because she was smitten with you. Weirdly, I was ―_I am_― totally cool with it."

Austin nodded, still a little confused, but he smiled gratefully. Dallas put a hand out for Austin to shake and he did.

"You deserve each other, and I mean that in the nicest way possible." Austin grinned. "Anyway, I gotta get back to the li_bary_," Dallas said and Austin himself winced, then grinned again.

Silly Ally, rubbing off her little pet-peeves on him.

"Treat her right, man," Dallas said before walking out of Sonic Boom with his hands in his pockets.

"I would never do anything but!" Austin called to his back.

* * *

"So, son, when are you going to ask my future-daughter-in-law Ally to be your girlfriend?"

Mimi stood next to her son, who was sitting at the dinner table with his dinner-pancakes in front of him. She only ever made pancakes for dinner when she was really happy with him, and Austin took it as a good sign.

Still, he didn't want to be teased in return.

"_Mo-om,_" he whined. "Who told you?"

"Trish and Dez, of course ― they were the first to know! And then Lester, and don't forget Penny." Austin groaned.

"We like to be kept in the loop, son," Mike said from the other end of the dining table, putting down the newspaper that was shielding his face to reveal a small smile.

"Ally's a wonderful girl." There was a pregnant pause in which Austin could feel himself blushing before he'd even spoken.

"I _know,_" he said happily and Mimi clapped her hands together in joy.

"Oh, I can already see the wedding!" Austin drowned out her chatter but didn't bother to deny any of her claims, just sat munching on his pancakes with a delighted grin plastered across his face.

"We're happy for you, Austin," his dad said when his mother had left the room. "She'd make a good wife," Mike finished with a wink.

"Yeah, she would."

Austin didn't even bother to pretend he didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

"So, when are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend?"

Ally said it casually, as she scribbled more lyrics in her brown leather book. She didn't even look up to see Austin's shocked face and hanging jaw.

"Not any time soon then, I'm guessing," Ally said when she finally did look up at him and saw his still slack jaw. He closed it abruptly and she giggled.

"Well, I promised Megan it would be spectacular," he said grinning, "you know, to get her off my back."

She shoved him playfully, "Only to get her off your back, huh?"

"No," Austin said, bringing her even closer to him on the tiny piano bench, "because you deserve spectacular."

Ally blushed and took the chance to admire how beautiful the night sky looked from the practice room window, if only to avoid seeing the deep promise hidden in Austin's eyes.

"Ally?"

"Yeah?" she said timidly, turning back to face him.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah," she hummed and Austin let out a loud _YES!_ at the same time the people eavesdropping from outside the door did so. Ally quickly got up and opened the door to find a collection of her favourite people smiling guiltily and turned back to Austin.

He shrugged and she shook her head, slowly closing the door on the expectant bystanders with a grin.

Austin chuckled and stood up, wrapping his arms around her waist loosely, whilst hers rested on his shoulders. "Well, I'm glad that weight's off my chest."

"Me too," Ally mumbled into his chest, laughing quietly at the slight irony; her weight _was_ pressing against his chest. Just not metaphorically.

"But we might have to re-enact that whole scene for Megan later..."

Ally couldn't help but laugh into their imminent kiss.

* * *

**A/N**: How was this for you guys? I wrote this because **a)** I am lacking cuteness in my life, therefore, I needed this,** b)** I know you guys want me to post more regularly (so yeah. I'm trying!) and **c) **Tessa is on my list of awesome people who I need to dedicate a story to, so I had to start somewhere ;D

I really hope you all liked this. **Please don't forget to review ;D**

Love, Sophie. :)


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